Sights in Brandenburg
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Sanssouci Park
Potsdam, on the Havel River just southwest of Greater Berlin, is the capital of Brandenburg state and the largest single tourist attraction in the region after Berlin itself. Visitors come here in their thousands to admire the stunning architecture of this former Prussian royal seat and to soak up the elegant air of history that still characterises its parks and gardens. Potsdam’s focal point is Sanssouci Park, a Unesco World Heritage site with criss-crossing trails strewn throughout; take along the free map provided by the tourist office or you’ll find yourself up the wrong path at almost every turn. The various palaces are spaced fairly far apart – it’s about 15km to …
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Park Charlottenhof
Was laid out under Friedrich Wilhelm IV and now blends smoothly with Park Sanssouci. It's considerably less tourist-saturated but lacks the blockbuster sights. Its anchor is Schloss Charlottenhof, which is considered one of Karl Friedrich Schinkel's finest works, although we're not quite sure why. The palace was modelled after a Roman villa and sports a fountain terrace and charming rose garden.
Nearby, the Römische Bäder is a picturesque ensemble of Italian country estates and antique Roman villas designed in 1840 by Schinkel and his student Ludwig Persius. The setting next to a pond is nice, but don't go out of your way to come here.
A same-day combination ticket for b…
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Holländisches Viertel
Bounded by Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse, Hebbelstrasse, Kurfürstenstrasse and Gutenbergstrasse, the Holländisches Viertel has some 134 gabled red-brick houses built for Dutch workers who came to Potsdam in the 1730s at the invitation of Friedrich Wilhelm I (they didn't stay long). The entire district has been beautifully gentrified and now brims with galleries, cafés and restaurants; Mittelstrasse is especially scenic.
Further up Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse is the fanciful Nauener Tor (Nauen Gate, 1755), a fairytale-like triumphal arch.
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Neuer Garten
The winding lakeside Neuer Garten, laid out in natural English style on the western shore of the Heiliger See, is another fine park in which to relax. Right on the lake, the neoclassical Marmorpalais built in 1792 by Carl Gotthard Langhans (he of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate fame) for Friedrich Wilhelm II, has recently been carefully restored.
In the northern park, Schloss Cecilienhof was completed in 1917 as the last Hohenzollern palace ever built.
A same-day combination ticket for Cecilienhof and the Marmorpalais is available.
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Marmorpalais
The neoclassical Marmorpalais was built in 1792 for Friedrich Wilhelm II by Carl Gotthard Langhans (he of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate fame). Though not quite as fancy as Schloss Sanssouci, the interior is still stunning with its grand central staircase, marble fireplaces, stucco ceilings and collection of Wedgwood porcelain. The most fanciful room is the upstairs Orientalisches Kabinett, which looks like a Turkish tent.
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Chinesisches Haus
The adorable Chinesisches Haus reflects the 18th-century fascination with the Far East. It is one of the prettiest and most photographed buildings in the park, largely because of the gilded sandstone figures with oriental dress and shown sipping tea, dancing and playing musical instruments. One of the monkeys allegedly resembles Voltaire! Inside the domed circular pavilion is a precious collection of Chinese and Meissen porcelain.
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Schloss Sanssouci
The biggest stunner, and what everyone comes to see, is Schloss Sanssouci, the celebrated rococo palace designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff in 1747. The timed tickets sometimes sell out by noon - arrive early, preferably at opening, and avoid weekends and holidays. You can only enter the palace at the time printed on your ticket. Only city tours booked through the tourist office guarantee entry to the Schloss.
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Neues Palais
The Neues Palais has made-to-impress dimensions, a central dome and a lavish exterior decorated with a parade of sandstone figures. It was the last palace built by Frederick the Great, but he never really camped out here, preferring the intimacy of Schloss Sanssouci. Later it served as a guesthouse and only the last German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, used it as a residence until 1918.
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Damenflügel
The biggest stunner, and what everyone comes to Potsdam to see, is Schloss Sanssouci, the celebrated rococo palace designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff in 1747. Rooms include the frilly rococo Konzertsaal (Concert Hall) and the bed chambers of the Damenflügel, with a boudoir reputedly occupied by French writer Voltaire on his frequent visits to the court.
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Luisenplatz
Luisenplatz is dominated by the baroque Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate). From this square, the pedestrianised Brandenburger Strasse runs due east to the Sts Peter und Paul Kirche (Church of Sts Peter and Paul, 1868). Just to the southeast on Charlottenstrasse, and once the seat of the town's Huguenots, is the Französische Kirche (French Church, 1753).
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Alexandrowka
A short walk north of the Altstadt is Potsdam's most unusual neighbourhood, the Russian colony Alexandrowka. Its 13 wooden houses were built in 1826-27 by Friedrich Wilhelm III for the Russian singers of a military choir that performed for the king. Four of the families living in the colony are descendants of the original settlers.
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Filmmuseum
West of Am Alter Markt in the former Marstall (royal stables) is the smallish Filmmuseum with a permanent exhibit on the history of the UFA and DEFA (the GDR film company) studios in Babelsberg. The cinema shows all sorts of flicks, from silent movies with live organ accompaniment to recent releases.
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Belvedere Pfingstberg
Belvedere Pfingstberg was built in Italian Renaissance style, this massive twin-towered palace was commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm IV but not completed until 1863, two years after his death. A series of spiralling wrought-iron staircases leads up to the towers for spectacular 360-degree views.
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Historische Mühle
Maulbeerallee is the only road cutting straight through Park Sanssouci. North of it is the Historische Mühle, a functioning replica of an 18th- century windmill. Admission lets you examine historic exhibits and, more interestingly, the enormous grinding mechanism.
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Waschhaus
On the shores of the Tiefer See, about 2.5km north of central Potsdam, the complex unites numerous venues and institutions like the Waschhaus. Exhibits, movies, club nights and concerts take place here . Tram 93 makes the trip here from the Hauptbahnhof.
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Orangerieschloss
The dominant building in the corner of the park is the elegantly ageing Orangerieschloss. It's a 300m-long Renaissance-style palace built in 1864 by Italophile Friedrich Wilhelm IV as a guesthouse for visiting royalty.
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Nikolaikirche
Southeast of the GDR-era Platz der Einheit looms the great neoclassical dome of Schinkel's Nikolaikirche, built in 1850, complemented by an obelisk and a small pavilion on the old market square.
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Belvedere auf dem Klausberg
From the Orangery, a tree-lined path forms a visual axis to the rococo Belvedere auf dem Klausberg, a temple-like pavilion whose sumptuous interior was beautifully restored following war damage.
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Neue Kammern
The Neue Kammern is a former orangery and guesthouse, whose fancy interior includes the festive Ovidsaal, a grand ballroom with a patterned marble floor surrounded by gilded reliefs.
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Park Babelsberg
Park Babelsberg, yet another great Potsdam garden, is where you'll find the Schinkel-designed neo-Gothic Schloss Babelsberg and the Flatowturm, modelled after a medieval town gate in Frankfurt am Main.
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Römische Bäder
Schinkel, aided by his student Ludwig Persius, dreamed up the Römische Bäder, a picturesque ensemble of Italian country estates and antique Roman villas.
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Schloss Charlottenhof
The small neoclassical Schloss Charlottenhof was modelled after a Roman villa and is actually considered one of Karl Friedrich Schinkel's finest works.
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Schloss Cecilienhof
Schloss Cecilienhof is a rustic English-style country manor completed in 1917 for crown prince Wilhelm and his wife Cecilie.
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Pesne-Galerie
On weekends, admission also includes a peak inside the Pesne-Galerie with a fine selection of works by this French painter.
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Bildergalerie
The Bildergalerie, completed in 1763, houses a feast of 17th-century paintings by Rubens, Caravaggio, van Dyck and others.
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